One of the most compelling parts about North Carolina is barbecue. Now, I’m not talking about ribs, and the word is most sointenlly NOT a verb or adjective. It is a noun denoting the smoking of either the shoulder or the hole pig for long hours to produce a concontion of shredded pigs meat, known down here as BBQ. The phrase “let’s barbecue” is never used down here. If you must, you can say “let’s cook out” or “let’s have a cookout.” But never a barbecue. And it is a grill. Never a barbecue grill.
The basic condiment used on BBQ is a thin, vinegar based sauce, usually a bit spicy. In Western North Carolina they mix some tomato in, in South Carolina they mix in a spicy mustard. None of that for moi, though. Stick with the basics.
There is almost no event where having BBQ is unacceptable. And cooking pig is like chili: the basic ingredients are the same, but it is what one does with them, and how they cook it. Gotta be juuuuussssttt right. It literally falls off the bones in a delectable concontion of delight.
You can eat it with a fork or your fingers, or put it on a bun. Typically you will get either fries or hush puppies with BBQ, or maybe some Brunswick stew. Don’t forget the slaw. Not cole slaw, just slaw. And sweet tea. Not the canned or bottled stuff. I’m talking real brewed tea, with just the right amount of filling pain causing sugar.
So, when y’all damnyankees stop down in the Carolinas, be sure y’all get some BBQ. As a matter of fact, BBQ is the #1 reason people move down South. No foolin’. Damm, I’m hungry now. Reckon I’ll see y’all in a bit.
I’m in Texas. We call BBQ by just about any kind of name. I’ve seen just about anything and everything edible (and otherwise) put in souse. Something we get allot down here is smoked meet. I have three buddies who own smokers so huge they have to be built on a trailer that can only be towed behind a one ton truck. It doesn’t seem to matter what kind of meat you put on those things. It comes out tasting like heaven.
Me
Damn, thats just how to do it. I don’t mind a tomater based sauce once in a while, just for variety, but barbeque is just how you describe it… slow roasted pig with vinegar sauce. Guess thats cuz my grandma grew up in NC, never having left her small town until she joined the Army in WWII…
So I presume you’re have a BBQ there, William? How ’bout a little notice next time so we can join you!
I am with you. Eastern NC BBQ rocks…the thin vinegar based, hot pepper sauce is the best, in my opinion. We never used BBQ to refer to the smoking process, only to the outcome–that wonderfully juicy chopped pork with tangy hot sauce.
Not just a food, it’s a religion.